Mimi Sue's Cottage

A home is much more than a house built of lumber, brick, or stone. A home is made of love, sacrifice, and respect. We are responsible for the homes we build. We must build wisely, for eternity is not a short voyage. There will be calm and wind, sunlight and shadows, joy and sorrow. But if we really try, our home can be a bit of heaven here on earth. Thomas S Monson







Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Bleached Bottle Brush Trees

A couple of weeks ago I saw a post over at The Beehive Cottage about bleaching
bottle brush trees.  Love that look and LOVE all of Mary Jane's fun ideas so I thought
I'd give it a try. 
 
The first thing I did was pick up a bag of  trees from Michael's.
 
I used my 50% off coupon of course.
 
Then I filled up a plastic container with water and added about a
cup and a half of bleach.
 
Threw the trees in for about 10 minutes, drained them, rinsed them
with warm, soapy water a few times, then clear water. They turned out
like this. 
 
 
Why yes there are dishes in my sink.  But at least they're cute dishes.

 
Now they're ready for a few projects, like this one.






 
I think there were like 24 little trees in the package.
 
I have a few other ideas I want to do with them.

 
 
 
Seems like I've got a few more to work with.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Sunday Sayings



"Do not take one thing for granted - not one smile, or one person, or one rainbow, or one breath, or one night in your cozy bed." 
                                                                                                         Terri Guillemets

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Monday, November 19, 2012

I've Had a Little Work Done...

Have you noticed anything new about my blog lately? Well, that's right, I have a brand new banner, AND, for the very first time in four years of blogging, I have a button. Pretty fancy, don't you think? The lovely and talented Keren from www.freeprettythingsforyou.com made them for me and I just love them! She was a dream to work with and oh so very nice. So now that my blog has had a facelift, maybe I should think about getting one for myself. Not even kidding.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Sunday Sayings

"Someday everything will make perfect sense. So for now, laugh at the confusion, smile through the tears, be strong and keep reminding yourself that everything happens for a reason." John Mayer

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Giving Thanks

You know how much I like to copy adorable projects that are on blogs I visit
or Pinterest.  Well, I found a fun and easy Thanksgiving decoration on
 
I'm sure you will love Geneva's home and her blog as much as I do.
 
Go on over and say hello and take a look at all the awesome
things she and her honey have done to their home.
 
This project is simply tea dyed tags from Staples stamped with
letters that say Give Thanks and then wired on a branch
from my backyard.
 





 You could also attach the tags with crinkly seam binding or twine.
 
 
I just love the look of it.  I also love that I had all the supplies on hand.  One more thing to be thankful for.
 
 

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Sunday Sayings

 
 
 
"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." 
Elmer Davis
 
 
 
Happy Veterans Day

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Tinkerbell

Have you ever tried to take a picture of Tinkerbell?
 
 
It's not as easy as it looks.


Tuesday, November 6, 2012

A Birthday Celebration


Last week I had a milestone of a birthday.

Mimi Sue turned gulp 60!

The Mister decided we needed to celebrate in a big way the big day
so he took the entire family to Disneyland.



We stayed at the Grand Californian Resort.
It was gorgeous!


We walked around Downtown Disney.


I couldn't seem to get all the grandkids together in one picture but 
here's some of them.











There's a reason they call it the happiest place on earth.





Had to have a Dole Whip float.  


Had to have lunch at the Golden Horseshoe.





Had a great time hanging out with our kids and their kids.

Made a few memories and a large pile of laundry.

Thank you Mister!  You made my dreams come true.

Once again.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Sunday Sayings


NBC News Image



"Adversity is like a strong wind.  It tears away from us all but
the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we 
really are."  Arthur Golden

Praying for all those affected by Sandy.

Friday, November 2, 2012

A New Roof For An Old Coop

We have an old chicken coop on our property.  It used to belong to 
the old Victorian home next door as did the lot that our house sits on.

The coop is pretty old, probably built during the depression.

It hasn't been used as a chicken coop for at least 60 years, maybe longer.
  

It's a nice little building, perfect for storing garden tools and lawn mowers
in the winter.  But it's poor roof had seen better days.  

So a couple of weeks ago the Mister and his friend Vaughn went to work.



First they stripped off what was left of the old roof and added 
a new fascia board.


Seven layers of shingles, tin, old linoleum (from the 50's), and other
substances that were hard to identify were scraped off.



New steel roofing was purchased.


And installed.



\

Now the roof is water tight and ready for winter.

The rest of the coop, however, needs a bit of work.


I love old outbuildings.



So worth the work.